Muuet
by darkrunner
Summary: Slight re-telling of how Bakura got the Millennium Ring back the night before the Battle City Finals. Hostshippning for YGOFFC S10 Round 2.


A/N: Canon messing with how I wanted to order things. Why don't I remember this stuff? It's only been 6 years since it ended! 8 years since it actually reran on TV. 9 years since it originally aired.

Disclaimer: If I can't even remember all the details, it's safe to say I didn't write it to begin with.

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><p>Anzu remembered watching the night's duels. She remembered hearing the Ishtars' past from Ishizu. She remembered the boys leaving, and her chasing down Ishizu to ask what would happen to the other Yugi if the millennium items returned to the stone. Ishizu answered... and then... and then...<p>

...then...

...

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><p>"-let's see you fight without your puppet!"<p>

Anzu woke up.

Or maybe it only felt like she woke up, because her first thought was that she was dreaming. This was a dream. Marik was in the dream because she just watched him duel and put her friend into a coma. Bakura was in the dream because she just watched him duel and go into a coma. That's right, Bakura was in a coma or something, so he couldn't be standing in front of her. He couldn't be standing at all. Or glaring at her with eyes hard and narrow.

Then she realized she was standing, this was not her room, and she was holding something metallic. She hoped for a brief second that maybe she had been sleepwalking. Then Marik sneaked up behind her, and she had no time for thinking anymore.

"I'll take that," he purred, tugging on whatever she held behind her back. She lost her grasp on one hand, but with the other, she hung on instinctively. Marik pulled her back around with him as he tried to steal it from her. Anzu stumbled and they faced it other, the Millenium Ring between them.

No. This had to be a dream. Bakura had the Ring! Or he lost it or something, right? How the heck did she get it?

Marik threw his whole weight into yanking the Ring, but Anzu held tight. She lost her footing completely, but she held tight. Anzu toppled forward, Marik falling with her. She landed heavily on the floor, staring up at Bakura, who likewise fell to his knees.

"Nnng- Anzu...?" Bakura stammered, clutching his arm, clearly in pain. "What's going on...?"

"Bakura?" He was different. Those eyes wouldn't glare at her. This had to be the real Bakura. Which meant that before... The ring! She twisted back around and held the Ring close. Marik was kneeling now, his hands not on the Ring but on the Rod, pulling it out of its sheath.

Anzu scrambled away from Marik in time to see the Rod flash down where her arm had just been. She kept crawling, now bumping into Bakura. His hand brushed the Ring.

"Oh, no you don't!" Marik shouted, getting to his feet. Before Anzu knew what happened, Marik swung the Rod and Bakura went flying across the room.

"Bakura!"

"Now I've got you," Marik grinned, raising Anzu's head with the point of his dagger. "Stand up."

While all common sense told her not to aggravate the psychotic sadistic serial killer with the knife and the magic stick of death, something more primal told her to catch him off guard and fight back. And after she lost the element of surprise?

She didn't have time to think through it that far. She swung her legs around in a spiral kick that caught Marik under his knees and threw him to the ground. Nothing like some good dancing moves to throw off violent attackers. Now that Marik was down, she realized she had very little time before he struck back. But she forced that thought out and ran over to Bakura, who was trying to stand up.

"Bakura!" she exclaimed, jumping forward to grab him and dropping the Ring in the process. "Hey!" She threw an arm around him as he threatened to drop to the ground. "Bakura!"

"What... what's he doing here?" Bakura, struggling to stand on his own, focused on Marik.

"He's trying to steal your Ring." They backed into the corner as Marik approached, dagger drawn. Their options were quickly dwindling. Bakura pushed Anzu behind him, finding enough strength to keep on his own two feet.

"Give it back to me," he ordered. Marik lunged.

"But- he'll possess you-!"

"Do it!"

Anzu threw the Ring at him, and the change was instantaneous. Marik went flying, and Bakura straightend. Marik didn't sound entirely unhappy that he was violently thrown to the ground. On the contrary, he started to laugh. Anzu shuddered.

"What was that?" Marik chuckled from where he was lying on the ground. "Got a soft spot for the girl?"

Bakura glanced over his shoulder with disdain, and Anzu knew for sure he was the spirit of the Ring. "_I_ don't care either way. But my host wants to see her safe, and well, it is his body after all. And it's not like you're all that difficult to hold off," he goaded. Marik wouldn't fall for it, though, and said nothing. "Shall we take this somewhere else?"

Marik looked from Anzu, helpless on the ground, to Bakura, drumming his fingers on the Ring. He scoffed. The girl didn't matter. There would be time for her later.

"Fine. Where to?"

"Why, the arena, of course," Bakura smiled, wide and sinsiter. He ushered Marik out of the room.

"Bakura-!" Anzu called when they were at the door, on the faint hope that the actual Bakura would answer her. The spirit in his body turned back to her, still smiling.

"No. But never fear, I'll bring him back to you when I'm done."


End file.
